Local Sports

Ever since he was a scrawny 165-pound senior in high school, Waterbury's Cory Lagasse has admired strongman Derek Poundstone.

So when Lagasse had the opportunity to meet Poundstone at his gym, Poundstone Performance Training Center, on Baldwin Street in Waterbury, he never hesitated to ask the local celebrity for his guidance.

"I went down to his gym and asked if it was possible for him to support me in my upcoming competitions," Lagasse said. "I told him I wasn't looking for a handout, but he is a big name in the fitness industry and lives in Waterbury like myself. He told me that I did the best thing I could have done and that's ask for help because that's what you need to do when trying to break into a sport and stand out."

And stand out he did. On July 28, Lagasse, 24, took second out of 45 competitors in the National Physique Committee USA Championships in Las Vegas to earn his pro card in the men's physique division, a fast-rising sport that many compare to bodybuilding.

Lagasse, a Holy Cross High graduate who competes at a weight of 225 pounds, is the first Connecticut competitor to earn his pro card in the International Federation of Body Building since Men's Physique became a sport in 2011.

Men's Physique can be described as a more fit-looking and slimmed down version of body building. Lagasse described it as "the ultimate beach body look and living a healthier lifestyle."

When competing, judges look for muscularity and body condition, stage presence and personality, and how the competitor presents him or herself.

Poundstone, a three-time America's Strongest Man, is fascinated with men's physique and believes with Lagasses' potential, the sky is the limit.

"It's a new sport and more appealing to the public eye," Poundstone said. "Men's Physique is growing extremely fast but I also feel Cory has the potential to use Men's Physique as a steppingstone to open up more avenues. Training like an athlete gives you this raw look and you don't have these big puffy muscles like bodybuilders have but having that raw look can translate into a career of its own. A career of modeling and whatever he wants. The sky is the limit for him."

Lagasse said that learning from Poundstone has given him a leg up on the competition and feels that he is only going to get better with his guidance.

"He's the local hero," Lagasse said. "Seeing him do big things in his sport makes me want to push myself as much as possible to do great things in my sport. He's a huge help, has a big repuation and knows what he's doing. I want his input on everything that I do because I value his opinion and know whatever he tells me is right."

Even though they have only been training together for roughly six months, Poundstone has already seen an immsense change in Lagasse's body and knows that if he continues to train with him then he can do anything he wants to.

"If you look at the kid, he's an absolute freak," Poundstone said. "He wants to be well-rounded and athletic and with him coming to my gym, he's learned that you don't want to work out but rather train your body. He can become a model, he can compete in a strongman competition, and he's becoming that well-rounded that whatever he wants to do, he can do."

When Poundstone was told that Lagasse has been idolizing him for roughly eight years, he was speechless.

"It's strange and I still have a really hard time with that because I don't see myself as a role model," Poundstone said. "I'm absolutely blown away but it's still something hard to deal with because I never thought in a million years that I would be someones role model. It just goes to show you that with hard work and dedication and the willingness to better yourself, you can do anything that you want to."

Lagasse has his first pro competition on Oct. 13 in Houston, and is looking forward to a few more weeks of difficult training to prepare himself for the competition.

"I'm very excited and anxious to step on stage and compete with the best of the best to see where I fit in, or stand out."

With Poundstones' guidance, soon enough we may have another local celebrity on our hands. Lagasse could very well be the next big thing.

Follow Us

Post a reader comment

We encourage your feedback and dialog. Please be civil and respectful.If you're witty, to the point and quotable, your reader comments may also be included on the Around the Towns page of The Sunday Republican. Readers must be registered and logged in to post comments on the site. Registration is free. Click Here to register.
A Subscription is not required to post comments only a Registration.